Bandanna-style head covering

ABSTRACT

A bandanna-style head covering having a crown portion, a tail member, a pair of tie members, and a receptacle mounted to the interior of the crown portion, the opening of the receptacle being closed by folding forward the tail member. Snap fasteners, hook-and-loop fasteners or the like may be used to secure the tail member to the receptacle. The tie members function as a carrying handle, and fasteners may be provided to releasably join the tie members to each other.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to the field of head coverings worn on the human head, and more particularly to such head coverings commonly referred to as bandannas or bandanna-style head coverings. Even more particularly, the invention refers to such head coverings that incorporate a pocket, pouch or similar receptacle for retaining objects.

A bandanna head covering is a triangular piece of material, often formed by folding a square piece of fabric, having a front edge, a pair of lateral corners and a rear corner. The front edge is then placed across the wearer's forehead with the body of the bandanna pulled across the top of the head. The two lateral corners are then brought together at the back of the head and tied to secure the bandanna to the wearer. Bandanna-style head coverings are also known, wherein the head covering comprises sewn panel members such that the head covering has a pre-formed concave configuration to better match the configuration of the head. A typical structure for a bandanna-style head covering comprises a pair of lateral panels joined to a central panel to for a crown structure, the central panel having an extended tail member in the rear. A generally semi-circular band member is joined to the lower edges of the lateral panels and the lower edge of the front of the central panel so as to extend across the forehead, temples and sides of the head of the wearer. A tie or strap member extends from the rear of each end of the band member, the tie members being sufficiently long to allow them to be tied together across the tail member to secure the head covering to the wearer's head.

Examples of bandannas and bandanna-style head coverings are shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,594,956 to Barrientos, U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,127 to Bezanis, U.S. Pat. No. 6,247,181 to Hirsch et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 6,738,986 to Martin.

Bandannas and bandanna-style head coverings are often worn by motorcycle riders, either alone or underneath helmets, to provide a cushioning effect, to protect a hair style from being disrupted by the wind, and/or to absorb sweat. Motorcycle riders also often wear leathers, chaps and other relatively tight fitting protective clothing, such that transport of personal items such as keys, cell phones, cosmetics and the like in pant or shirt pockets is often not possible or easily accomplished when the rider reaches his or her destination. This results in the rider having to carry these objects by hand.

Martin in U.S. Pat. No. 6,738,986 addresses this problem by providing a bandanna-style head covering which incorporates a small pouch in the base of the tail. The pouch, however, is by necessity very small, being limited to the size of the tail, which for aesthetic purposes is often quite small. Thus the amount of personal items that can be received by the pouch is limited. Secondly, the pouch and tail are exposed, as they extend from the main body of the head covering. Thirdly, there is no dedicated handle or carrying means for the head covering, such that the user must bunch up the material.

It is an object of this invention to provide a bandanna-style head covering having a pocket, pouch or similar receptacle that is disposed on the interior of the crown portion of the head covering, such that the pocket receptacle may define a relatively large volume to receive personal items. It is a further object to provide such receptacle with a rearward facing opening and preferably a means to close such opening, such that the extended tie members of the head covering may be utilized as a carrying handle or may be tied to a belt loop or the like without fear that the personal items will be dislodged from the receptacle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is a bandanna or bandanna-style head covering to be worn on the human head, the head covering comprising a crown portion to cover the upper head of the wearer, a tail member extending from the rear of the crown portion, a pair of tie members extending to the rear from the sides of the crown portion, and a receptacle member, such as a pocket, pouch or the like, disposed on the interior of the crown portion.

Preferably, the invention is a bandanna-style head covering as described above further comprising an encircling band member that is joined to the lower edge of the crown portion, the band member when the head covering is worn extending across the forehead, temples and lateral sides of the head. Also preferably, the open end of the receptacle member is positioned to the rear of the crown portion, and the receptacle member is provided with a closure means, such as a zipper, button, snap fastener, loop, hook-and-loop fastener or like means, to close the open end of the receptacle member. Most preferably, the tail member is folded into the interior of the crown portion to cover the open end of the receptacle member.

In an alternative embodiment, the crown portion may be formed as an outer layer and a separate inner layer, such that the receptacle is defined by area between the two layers. Also alternatively, the free ends of the tie members may be provided with fastener means enabling them to be removably joined to form a carrying handle.

In this manner the head covering functions in the normal manner when worn on the head, yet is readily adaptable to function as a carrying device for personal items such as keys, a cell phone, cosmetics or the like when removed from the head.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention in use as a head covering.

FIG. 2 is an interior view of a simple embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is an interior view of an embodiment of the invention, shown with the receptacle member open and the closure means comprising a snap fastener.

FIG. 4 is an interior view of an alternative embodiment of the invention, shown with the receptacle member formed by an inner and outer layer and in the open configuration, with the closure means comprising a hook-and-loop fastener.

FIG. 5 is an interior view of the invention, shown with the receptacle member closed and the tie members joined to form a carrying handle.

FIG. 6 is a view of the invention, shown being carrier and with the closure means comprising a retainer loop to receive the tail member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to the drawings, the invention will now be described in detail with regard for the best mode and the preferred embodiment. In a general sense, the invention is a bandanna or bandanna-style head covering to be worn on the human head, as shown in FIG. 1. As used herein in reference to the head covering, the term interior shall refer to the side of head covering adjacent the wearer's head when worn on the head.

In a most simple or basic embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the head covering 10 comprises a triangular body 11 having a forward edge 12, a pair of opposing lateral corners 13 and a rear corner 14. The triangular body 11 may be formed by folding a square or rectangular piece of non-rigid material, such as a natural or synthetic fabric, leather, or an elastic fabric for example. A receptacle member 20 is disposed on the interior surface of the triangular body 11 by stitching or other suitable means, the receptacle member 20 being a pocket, pouch or like member and having an opening 21 facing toward the rear corner 14. Releasable closure means 40 are provided such that the receptacle opening 21 may be closed, preferably by folding forward the rear corner 14 and connecting the closure means 40. Closure means 40 for receptacle member 20 may comprise any suitable fastener means, such as a snap fastener, hook-and-loop fastener, button, zipper, retaining loop, etc. The size and shape of the receptacle member 20 may be varied.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is that of a bandanna-style head covering 40 and is illustrated in FIGS. 3 through 5, wherein the head covering 40 is inherently concave on its interior side as opposed to the flat configuration of the head covering shown in FIG. 2. The head covering 30 comprises a crown portion 31 preferably formed as the combination of a central panel 32 and a pair of lateral panels 33, joined along front-to-back edges. An encircling band member 34 is joined to the forward edge of the central panel 32 and the lateral edges of the lateral panels 33. When the head covering 30 is worn the crown portion 31 fits onto the upper portion of the wearer's head with the encircling band member 34 positioned on the forehead, temple and sides of the head.

Extending from the rear of the central panel 32 and crown portion 31, formed as an integral member or as an attached member, is a tail member 35. Tail member 35 may be of varying length, width and shape, and hangs down to rest against the back of the wearer's head when the head covering 30 is worn. Extending from the rear of each end of the encircling band member 34, likewise formed either as integral or attached members, are tie members 36. Tie members 36 are thin, strap-like members that are of sufficient length to be tied into a releasable knot on the back of the wearer's head atop the tail member 35 in order to secure the head covering 30 on the wearer.

A receptacle member 20 is disposed on the interior of the crown portion 31, the receptacle member being a pocket, pouch or the like having a rearward facing opening 21. The receptacle member 20 may be a sheet material attached to the crown portion by stitching, gluing or other similar fastening means. Most preferably, closure means 40 are provided to releasably close the receptacle opening 20. The closure means 40 may comprise for example a two-component snap fastener 41 a and 41 b, a hook-and-loop fastener 42, a retainer loop 43, a button and slot combination, a zipper, etc. Most preferably, the closure means 40 are operable by folding forward the tail member 35 in order to engage the snap fastener components 41 a and 41 b, the hook-and-loop fastener 42, the retainer loop 43, etc., such that the tail member 35 is connected to the receptacle member 20.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the receptacle member 20 is formed by the combination of an outer layer 22, defined by the crown portion 31, and an inner layer 23 disposed interior to and adjacent the outer layer 22, the inner layer 23 being attached to the outer layer 22 about or adjacent to the periphery of the crown portion 31. In this manner the receiving space and the opening 21 of the receptacle member 20 are maximized such that relatively large items or a large number of items may be retained within the receptacle member 20. Releasable handle fastener means 50, such as for example hook-and-loop fasteners, snap fasteners, buttons, etc. may be provided to create a releasable connection of the free ends 37 of the tie members 36, such that when joined the tie members 36 define a carrying handle.

The head covering 10 or 30 is worn in the normal manner, either alone or underneath a helmet. When it is desired for the invention to function as a carrying device, the head covering 10 or 30 is removed and personal items are placed into the receptacle member 20. Closure means 40 are then secured to better retain the personal items. The tie ends 36 are then tied together, held by the user's hand, joined together by handle fastener means 50, or tied to the user's belt, for example. In this manner the opening 21 of the receptacle member 20 is oriented upward so that the personal items are precluded from falling out of the receptacle member 20.

It is understood that equivalents or substitutions for certain elements described above may be obvious to those skilled in the art, and therefore the true scope and definition of the invention is to be as set forth in the following claims. 

1. (canceled)
 2. (canceled)
 3. (canceled)
 4. A head covering comprising a generally concave crown portion defining an outer layer having a periphery, an inner layer disposed adjacent said outer layer, said inner layer and said outer layer being joined about the majority of said outer layer periphery such that a receptacle member is defined by the combination of said inner layer and said outer layer, an opening allowing access to said receptacle member, a tail member extending from said crown portion, and a pair of tie members extending from said crown portion on either side of said tail member, wherein said head covering is secured by a wearer by joining said tie members to each other.
 5. The head covering of claim 4, wherein said crown portion comprises a pair of lateral panels joined to a central panel, and further comprising an encircling band member joined to said central panel and said lateral panels, wherein said tail member extends from said central panel and said tie members extend from said encircling band member.
 6. The head covering of claim 4, further comprising closure means to releasably close said opening in said receptacle member.
 7. The head covering of claim 6, wherein said closure means are chosen from the group of closure members consisting of snap fasteners, hook-and-loop fasteners, retainer loops, buttons and zippers.
 8. The head covering of claim 6, wherein said closure means joins said tail member to said receptacle member.
 9. The head covering of claim 6, further comprising handle fastener means disposed on said tie members to releasably join said tie ends to define a carrying handle.
 10. (canceled)
 11. A bandanna-style head covering comprising a crown portion having a generally concave interior, an encircling band member connected to said crown portion, a tail member extending from said crown portion, a tie member extending from said crown portion on each side of said tail member, and a receptacle member disposed on said interior of said crown portion, said receptacle member having an opening facing toward said tail member, wherein said receptacle member comprises an inner layer attached to the periphery of an outer layer defined by said crown portion.
 12. The head covering of claim 11, further comprising closure means for releasably closing said opening of said receptacle member.
 13. The head covering of claim 12, wherein said closure means releasably joins said tail member to said receptacle.
 14. The head covering of claim 13, wherein said closure means is chosen from the group of closure means consisting of snap fasteners, hook-and-loop fasteners, retainer loops, buttons and zippers.
 15. The head covering of claim 13, wherein said receptacle member comprises a sheet material joined to said crown portion.
 16. (canceled)
 17. The head covering of claim 13, further comprising handle fastener means to releasably connect said tie members to each other to define a carrying handle.
 18. The head covering of claim 13, wherein said crown portion comprises a pair of lateral panels joined to a central panel. 